Today’s Clean Eating Cocktail Party recipe comes from Alyssa, a sweetheart I met at Nourished Food Blogger Conference last spring. This girl loves her quinoa so much, she has declared herself the Queen of Quinoa. Given that I strongly considered changing my blog name to The Pumpkin Princess, one might say we are equally passionate about our favorite foods! Some of her stellar quinoa recipes include Sweet Potato & Pineapple Quinoa Waffles, Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, and Vegan “Peanut Butter” Chocolate Quinoa Cake (bonus: this recipe even tells you how to make your own quinoa flour!) But as much of a powerhouse as it is, one cannot survive on quinoa alone, and today Alyssa is sharing a protein-packed, easy recipe for your holiday parties.

Hi guys, I’m Alyssa from Queen of Quinoa and I’m so excited to be part of Cara’s Clean Eating Cocktail Party! Whole, organic foods have been part of my diet since I was a child and to be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Cooking and baking with clean foods not only makes your recipes taste better, but it gives your body nourishment and makes you feel better all around.

So when Cara invited me to join this Clean Eating Cocktail Party – I jumped at the opportunity. When I think of cocktail parties, my mind immediately jumps to mini food. Bite-sized morsels that are packed with flavor but are easy to just pop in your mouth. Most importantly, to me party food should be mess free. And that’s what I set out to make.

I distinctly remember a super bowl party I attended in college that had fabulous appetizers. The memorable spread included tangy barbecue and spicy buffalo wings, fresh veggies and homemade dip, and a fabulous fruit platter. But in the center of it all was this heaping plate of mini quiches. Packed with veggies and cheese, nestled in buttery crusts, the quiches were sensational. But I also knew they were wildly unhealthy.

With this recipe, I wanted to recreate that delicious appetizer into a healthy, clean snack for all to enjoy. Starting from the outside and working my way in, I opted for no crust to keep these naturally gluten-free and lower in carbs, I used no milk or cream with the egg batter to reduce the fat and keep them dairy-free, and I packed these bites full of the wondrous green, spinach. The result was a super healthy, green-filled, gluten-free, dairy-free, perfect cocktail party (or football party, or any party really!) appetizer that all of your guests will surely enjoy!

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
Beat together the eggs in a mixing bowl, until frothy. Whisk in spinach and artichokes. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture into each of the muffins tins until you’ve used all your batter.
Bake in the center of the oven for 20 – 25 minutes until the quiches are cooked through and the tops no longer jiggle.
Cool for five minutes and serve warm, or let cool completely and serve at room temperature.

Cara loves pumpkin, Alyssa loves quinoa, and I LOVE BOTH OF YOU!!
these look amazing and I cannot wait to try them! I love quinoa, just recently made my own quinoa flour, look forward to getting to know Alyssa and her blog!

You can’t go wrong with quinoa or pumpkin in my humble opinion. Both ingredients I’m head-over-heels in love with 🙂 Excited for you to check out my site and please let me know if you have questions along the way! Have a fabulous weekend!

Hi Lindsay – I absolutely think this will work with egg whites! I would suggest just subbing the egg whites for the whole eggs. They might puff a little more, but who says puffy mini quiches aren’t just as tasty!? Would love to know how they turn out for you 🙂 xo!

Hi Cara, these are in the oven as I type this… great dinner when we both don’t know what to eat, thanks! Btw, I got a good chuckle out of the fact that you said to take out the quiche when they stop giggling…. so, when they stop laughing they are done? Hahaha. Should be “jiggling” right? So cute, thanks for the afternoon smile.